At home abroad: 01/01/2009

January 11, 2009

Missing Snow

This week we had gorgeous weather: it was all sunny with a subtle hint of frost in the air. One could almost imagine that it would start to snow all of a sudden. I was really looking forward to the weekend; already picturing myself in Howth walking along the cliffs and enjoying the sun and maybe a little bit of white frosty topping on the cliffs.
Along came Saturday and with it rain, more rain and rough winds. I feel like I am almost blowing away inside my apartment (which is largely due to the fact that the flat has a fireplace without any kind of hatch to close the hole to the chimney).
This is the third winter for me without snow and I am starting to miss the more noticeable change of seasons, walks on the ice and the sun reflecting from the snow. Rain can be nice and even inspiring at times, but it does not replace the beauty of a sunny day in the snow.

Intro

In Ireland I was once told a story. A Spanish man travelling in Connemara asked what the Irish word for mañana would be. He was told “Oh no, we don’t have a word describing such a hurry here.”
I tried to keep this story in mind on my way from Cork into Dublin on Sunday evening.
It seemed to me like even the roads were in a hurry. Cars where changing lanes like mad and honking was the only accepted way of communication.

Ireland is a lovely country, people are friendly, the weather is mild, the countryside is gorgeous and in general not much is working in this country, but Irish people are way to relaxed to keep complaining about this too much, which is a very good skill to acquire when you move here from lets say one of the Scandinavian countries.